MasukLyraDawn came, a chill grey light creeping into the room. I blinked, realizing I'd been staring at Edran's chair by the window for hours. I hadn't slept. I'd lain awake all night, an arm's length away from Nadia's back.I tried not to imagine him in it, before...Nadia stirred. I tensed, waiting."Your father is all I see when I look at you now," she whispered. "I can't bear it, Lyra."My breath caught. I opened my mouth, but no words came. My tongue felt tangled, heavy. My whole body felt heavy, as if I'd been buried under the floorboards."I don't want to see your face again, Lyra. I can't."A sound escaped me. "Nadia..."Silence. She didn't move.I stared at that gap on the carpet. My hand rose, fingers curling to caress her rigid back. But it fell away, returned to press against my own thigh. My gaze caught on the chair, angled to the window. The dent in the cushion.I lay there, unmoving, as the light slowly grew on the wall. The shadows retreated, exposing the rough texture of
BramI crawled backward through the snow, chin to the ground, satchel pressed close to my side. The riders' fire had burned down to embers. Their talk had faded into snores and breathing, but I knew they could wake at any moment.The bitter cold nipped at my exposed skin, but I hardly felt it. The satchel weighed heavier with each mile, but I pressed on, putting as much distance between me and the riders as possible.The wind whipped my face, carrying the scent of pine trees and frost. I breathed it in deeply, letting it fill my lungs.I used what I could to navigate through the darkness. The moon was a sliver of silver overhead, too thin to cast much light, but my eyes adjusted easily.I knew this land, knew the way the trees and rocks lay, and I moved swiftly and silently through it.The stars faded overhead and the sky turned a deep, frozen blue.I stopped to breathe and looked around. The trees loomed closer here, their branches tangled in a way that felt wrong.No bird cries, no
RonanA heavy knock at the study door made me tense, a growl low in my throat."Come in," I barked. The door opened and Halvard's broad frame filled it."Majesty, there are..." His eyes flicked to my fists. "Cars. At the gate." His jaw worked. "They fly the Queen's colours."I hadn't sent for her. She never told me she was coming.What was she doing here?My study went red around the edges, too full of light, too much noise, my skin running hot.I could feel Maren's hunger churning in my belly, nagging, making me angry. She hadn't eaten since yesterday, and I couldn't understand why she hadn't.I pushed to my feet, knocking over my chair. "Tomorrow is the full moon," I said. "They can't be here."I shouldered past him out the door. Halvard came down behind me.Rhett was waiting at the foot of the stairs. He kept pace beside me as I stalked across the marble floor, his boots echoing mine.I shoved open the heavy doors, and the sun hit me, too bright."Stay back," Rhett said to the serv
FenrisI walked into the small hall with Yvara, a cold morning draft following us inside.Vidar was already there, sitting at the table eating bread and cold meat with a cup of ale. He looked at home, as if it were his own house. His beta stood by the door, arms folded.Vidar caught my eye and smiled, waving me over. "Eat, Alpha. We have much to discuss."I stayed standing by the fire, folding my arms. I had no stomach for food this morning. Vidar took that in good humour, tearing off a hunk of bread as if I weren't there."Last night, at the feast, you leaned into my ear and talked at me for a good long while just to ask for this meeting at first light," I said.Vidar laughed, crumbing bread onto the table. "Well, I've always been one to take my time."He winked at me, but I just stared back.Yvara stood silent by the door, watching Vidar's beta. The beta watched her in return. They sized each other up without a word.I turned back to the fire. The keep was quiet still, most of my wo
ElaraMy hand slid beneath the fur, closing around the ring. My knee jerked beneath it as I stared at Kane. He hadn't moved.I leaned forward, coming out from under my cover, one hand gripping the seat edge. "What I'm going to do? You brought me here! I had no choice, no say, and now you're asking me why I wanted to escape?"Kane turned to look out the window, an impassive mask on his face. The gate houses slid by, lantern light catching in his hair.I felt my voice rising, my words tumbling out faster and louder. "My parents begged you to let me stay. They begged you not to take me. But you didn't care, did you? You just dragged me back like some kind of... like some kind of prisoner!""Like you don't know!" I burst out. "Like you don't know exactly what I wanted when I went to that trader. I wanted to get away from you!"I froze. It was too loud, too raw. I looked at Kane, waiting for his reaction, bracing myself for it. But he just kept staring out the window, his face as empty as
SeraYvara's eyebrows shot up. I swallowed hard, trying to work out the details. "Deep in the forest," I said. "Where things die in winter and nobody asks.""Picked apart by beasts," Yvara added, her voice dry. "It should look like he fought whatever got him."I nodded. "But venom..." I trailed off, my gaze drifting to Amara. A bite was the surest way to kill, but... I glanced back at Yvara, at Fenris. "There can't be venom. Vane knows I keep a rogue."Yvara's gaze drifted to the silent girl who watched us from the hearth, then back to me. "Whatever you tell her," she said, "it has to be exact. Every piece."The memory of Torin's mangled body flashed through my mind, Yvara dragging him in by the collar, his arm gone. The old fury stirred within me once more, but I held my tongue, meeting Yvara's gaze steadily. I gave a single, sharp nod.Fenris groaned softly behind me. I glanced back to see him dropping his head onto the furs, eyes shut.I rose from the bed with the tunic in my hand,
SeraNight fell fast, and with it, the temperature plummeted. We had three fires going, but the heat didn't seem to travel more than six inches past the flames. I sat on a log by the middle fire, pulling the wagon fur around my shoulders, shivering so hard my teeth were literally clicking together.
LyraShe ignored me. She dropped to her knees, her hands sliding down to the waistband of my trousers. She shoved her fingers inside the fabric, gripping my hips tight. With one sharp pull, she dragged the pants and my underwear down to my ankles. I stepped out of them, kicking my boots off in the
Lyra"Tell the girl to step into the room," he said."Leave her out of this," I said. My voice came out as a pathetic, raspy whisper. I cleared my throat, trying to find some spine. "She didn't do anything. It was my idea to come in here.""Tell her to step into the room," he said, his eyes going d
LyraThe voice didn't belong to Nadia. It didn't belong to me. It came from the metallic object resting directly behind my hip.Nadia froze. She pulled her mouth away from me and yanked her fingers out of my body. She stood up quickly, wiping her wet mouth with the back of her hand, her chest heavi







